That Thing About Love
by bookiealchemist
Summary: While she was the perfect student, he was the perfect disaster. While he was the perfect trouble, she was the perfect solution. Miss Heartfilia is about to know the cruel side of reality coming in like an attractive dangerous burning fire. College AU.
1. That Thing About Meeting

**That Thing About Love**

Lucy Heartfilia smiled brightly as she smelled the nature surrounding her. The trees, flowers and grass of the campus formed a nice view to the recently entered college student.

She couldn't believe she made it into the university she wanted. It was very expensive, though that didn't present a problem, since her father runned the Heartfilia company. But, it was very prestigious and the ingress exam wasn't easy. She was now overwhelmed with joy.

Lucy grabbed her bag and walked to the secretary to acknowledge her presence. There was so much people, and of all kinds. Tiny girls reading books, probably drunken ones, sibling chatting between them, boys with tattoos and piercings, incredibly tall men, young and old people. It was a brand new world to her, that had been in her mansion most of her life. She was anxious to meet new people and find friends, and who knows what more...

 _"No,"_ she told herself. _"I'm going to concentrate in my studies. Just friends to hang out sometimes and talk."_

If she failed this years, her father was going to take her back and force her to work on the company. She had to succeed no matter what.

When she exited the secretary room watching her papers, she felt someone tugging at her shoulder. She turned around and saw the blue-haired tiny girl reading a huge book inside the room. The girl had brown eyes that looked attentively at her.

"Uh, excuse me, you dropped this," the girl said with a nice voice.

Lucy frowned before looking at the keys in the blue-haired hand. The keys of her new apartment. Fuck.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Lucy exclaimed, putting the keys back on her bag.

"Are you new here?" The girl smiled gently at her. Lucy smiled back.

"Yes! I just got here,"

"Do you like here?"

Lucy, confused by this random questions, frowned once again. The other girl noticed this and cleared her throat, her cheeks turning pink of embarrassment.

"Sorry. I'm Levy McGarden and I'm working on a report for my aunt, who owns an publishing house and asked for my help."

"Oh," Lucy understood. "That's great. Umm... well... Like I said, I just got here so I don't know very much about this place, but from the looks of it, it seems amazing."

Levy nodded slowly, before a grin spread out her lips. "That means you don't know anybody. What do you say if we go to a coffee and chat a bit more? You can ask me anything you want."

"Sure thing," Lucy smiled. Maybe it was a good way to start this university life. Besides, her classes started tomorrow, and she wanted to know this Magnolia city more.

The coffee shop Levy took her was incredibly comfortable. It was small, with paintings all over the walls, wooden chairs and tables and with chocolate smell. There were four people in the shop, more the employees: one cleaning tables, one attending the people and other mopping. Lucy found it all very familiar and nice; it even was near her new home. But...

"What do you want?" the not-so-nice employee spat. Lucy had told Levy to go sit down while she ordered their coffee and food. What a big mistake.

She shuddered at the aggressiveness looking at her trough those dark, shaped eyes. This boy -man- looked at her like she was the concentration of all her problems. It sure didn't match with the wild pink hair he had tucked under a black cap. He wore a long scarf loosely around his neck, but she still could see the scar on its right side. His dark blue T-shirt didn't cover all of the tattoo he had reaching his shoulder. He was intimidating as fuck, but she wouldn't lose to it.

"I want two cappuccinos and a slice of chocolate cake." Lucy glared at the man, letting him know she wasn't scared of his antics.

"Hey bastard, you heard that?" he shouted to another boy behind him, with messy brownish blond hair framing his face. He had dark eyes and noticeably long eyelashes. Lucy thought he was quite attractive, but even if she didn't like it, this boy couldn't even compare with the mean pink haired boy in front of her.

The boy, Hibiki, as she read in the card over his uniform, nodded frantically and run into what she presumed to be the little kitchen to prepare her order. He looked really scared.

"Hey, you don't have any right to treat him like that, you know..." Lucy read his name in the card. Why didn't she notice it before? Oh right, she couldn't stop watching his face. "Natsu."

Natsu opened his eyes in shock, but quickly recovered and glared at her again. "And what right do you have to put your nose in business that doesn't involve you?"

"Excuse me, is it the way this place treats its clients?" Lucy asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"Excuse me, is it the way people treats employees?" He said, with calm, cold, _fucking sexy_ voice. He wasn't even looking at her now, as if she didn't matter and she wasn't his client.

She opened her mouth to retort, but closed it immediately. What could she say to him that would actually affect him? He seemed like he didn't care about anything. Then, she saw him eyeing her -his eyes went from her blonde hair, her chocolate eyes and then... lower and stayed there.

"STOP STARING YOU PERVERT!" she shouted. All heads in the shop turned to them to see what was the commotion. Lucy felt her cheeks turn deep red from embarrassment and fury. This Natsu... he didn't even look alarmed, actually, he seemed like he was enjoying torturing her. Wasn't his boss there to fire him or something?

Someone clearing his throat broke the tension, and then Hibiki appeared with her order. He handed it to her in silence and then returned to his job. Lucy smiled gently at his shadow. Why wasn't this jerk as nice as him?

"It's 20,50 dollars, miss." he said, now a smug smirk adorning his lips. Why did he have to be so hot?

Lucy glared at him, her teeth clenched. This... situation had gotten the worst out of her. She was so, _so_ angry. Nevertheless, she took out her wallet and payed him, not glancing back as she made her way to the table.

She sat down defeated. Sighing, she handed Levy her cappuccino until she noticed the look the girl was giving her.

"What happened over there?" Levy asked, her curious eyes inspecting the blonde.

"Nothing important. That boy was just an asshole," Lucy said, putting a strand of her behind her ear as she took a sip of her own beverage.

"Well, that asshole goes to our university, too." Levy told her, gaining her attention. Lucy kept silent with inquiring eyes, so Levy took it as a gesture to go on. "Natsu Dragneel, 20 years old, presumably grandson of the college's owner Makarov Dreyar, member of a boxing club, 2 tattoos, never takes off his scarf, problematic. In other words, the boy no one wants to mess up with. He works here to pay his rent, I think."

"How do you know all that?" Lucy questioned. She was, to say the least, impressed.

Levy grinned smugly. "I have my contacts."

Lucy, despite her fury of before, chuckled. "So does that means I'll meet him again? That sucks,"

It was Levy's turn to laugh now. "Well, that depends. Do you want to meet him again?"

Lucy stopped drinking. Of course she didn't want to meet with him again. He was a jerk. Probably one of the most attractive men she has ever seen, but regardless an idiot who had no respect for anybody. Still, she didn't have the power to answer it out loud.

"Oh well," Levy continued, unaware of the problems the blonde was facing. "So, you told me you got here just about now? In that case, I'll be pleased to tell you how things work here. After all, I think we'll get along greatly." She smiled brightly.

"I think so, too." Lucy smiled back. But she couldn't get rid of her thoughts at the back of her mind even while Levy talked to her. What would she had answered?

 **A/N= So, this is the first part of a story I planned some days ago. Forgive my bad grammar. I hope you enjoy it, and if you didn't like it, please stay tunned because what comes next is better! This story isn't going to be too long, by the way. Any comments will be appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. That Thing About Neighbors

**That Thing About Love**

A week after her first day at the university, Lucy already felt the stress and responsibilities studying and living on her own brought along. Cooking, cleaning up, going grocery shop... all by herself. And it felt lonely, without all the maids and servants of her old mansion. But it felt nice too, nevertheless. Independence was one of the many things she had dreamed of a long time ago. And now she had it.

She opened her fridge and took out the ingredients she need to cook banana bread, her favourite. Humming to the song she last listened on her iPod, she remembered when her mom used to do the same: sang while cooked -she had a great voice- for her, since Lucy wasn't capable of studying with an empty stomach. Lucy smiled softly at the memories, and pushed them in the back of her mind before tears could reach her eyes.

When Lucy finished it, she sat at her table and continued her studies about Creative Literature as she ate. It was a bright Saturday afternoon and her first weekend at college, and she spent it watching two episodes of Games of Thrones after breakfast and the rest of the day in the same way she was now. She sure missed her summer marathons of her favorite series.

Forty five minutes later, her phone vibrated. Putting papers away, she grabbed it and read the text.

 _'Hey Lucy, wanna go to Fairy Tail tonight?'_ It was Levy, the closest person Lucy had so far. Sure, she had met others, like Gajeel -soon-to-be Levy's boyfriend-, Erza Scarlet -the intimidating yet sweet red haired-, Jet and Droy -Levy's followers and friends- and many others. Lucy felt comfortable with them, they sure made her laugh with their weirdness.

 _'Fairy Tail?'_ Lucy texted back. The answer came back too quickly.

 _'You know I forget you're new here. It's a great bar. All of us are going, you should too. To know the city. It'll be nice!'_ Levy wrote. This girl knew to convince others.

Lucy gulped the last slice of the bread and sighed. Sure, she wanted to go out with all of them, but she had so much homework already. After telling the blue-haired this, Lucy met a new side of her friend.

 _'You're not staying all night alone. Lu, even I am going and I am not a party person at all. But this bar is magical, and even more if you come with friends. I know you met them only a few days ago, but I assure you, you're not regretting this. And if you still refuse, I'm gonna go to your apartment and bring Erza with me. You don't want to see her mad, now do you?'_

Lucy shook her head. _'Fine, I'll go.'_

 _'Great! I'm gonna pick you up at eight, okay?'_

After agreeing, Lucy checked the clock. 6:30 p.m. Well, shit. Lucy picked up her study stuff and put it all in her room. She left the dirty plate in the sink to wash it up after she came home and went to her bathroom to take a shower.

With the hot water pouring her body, it was difficult for her to know the time that had passed. After the stressing day, she felt how her muscles relaxed and sighed in pleasure.

When she came out, the clock marked 7:20. She was running out of time. Checking her wardrobe to know what to wear, she realized she had no idea what type of bar Fairy Tail was and what she should wear. Cursing for not asking earlier, she went to her small living room with the towel still wrapped around her body and picked up her phone again. Expressing her doubts to Levy, the blue-haired said;

 _'I'll be with you in ten, girls emergencies need precise answers'_

Smiling, Lucy thew a extra big hoodie that reached above her knees she had bought a year ago for comfort.

In exact ten minutes, her bell ring sounded and she opened the door to find a smiling Levy at the other side. Her close to be friend was wearing a cute, dazzling teal-green dress, boasting an ornate cut out-detailed neckline adorned with rows of shimmering brassy beads. Her hair was tied up with a lace, and her eyes had black eyeliner while her mouth was bright red. Simply put, Levy was stunning tonight.

"Levy!" Lucy exclaimed. "You look beautiful!"

Levy chuckled, but Lucy didn't miss the red of her cheeks. "Thanks Lu," she said. Her brown eyes then turned serious. "Let's get you dressed!"

"Sorry for making you come earlier," Lucy said as they walked towards her small room.

Levy waved it off with her hand. "It's nothing, really," she said. "Gajeel was getting insupportable anyways,"

Lucy looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. "What? DO YOU LIVE WITH GAJEEL?" she freaked out. She sure didn't expect it. Lucy thought they weren't dating _yet._

Levy's cheeks heated up considerably. "Wait, no!" she clarified. "I just had to pick him up too because his car's broken!"

"So you were with him, in your car, all this time, _alone_?" Lucy asked. Now that she knew what was really happening, she just wanted to tease her a little.

But Levy was beyond flustered now. Her cheeks seemed two mature tomatoes, her mouth gasping and her eyes opened in disbelief. "I-We-You're wrong! Gajeel and I would never..." she stopped when Lucy couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing. The blonde was practically rolling in the floor, hugging her stomach.

When Lucy calmed down, she saw Levy puffing out her cheeks, her hands on her hips and her annoyed frown. But her eyes were a little amused and a lot embarrassed. Lucy stood up and grinned towards Levy.

"I was just joking," Lucy tried, bitting her lip to supress another round of laughter.

"I know," Levy sighed. "I hate you,"

"I love you, Levy" Lucy said. It didn't seem like she just met seven days ago. She felt as she was talking to her all-life best friend.

Levy shook her head and opened the wardrobre, starting to watch the clothes. "We should continue with the task at hand, Gajeel's gonna get mad if we're not there by eight."

Lucy sat in her bed and smiled. "Admit I got you there. I've known you guys for days, but it's so obvious you're head over heels for each other."

"Luuuucy," Levy whined, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." Lucy lifted her hands in surrender, but she didn't miss how the blush didn't disappear.

"Ooh, what about this?" Levy said after some minutes, holding in her hands a blue plain spaghetti strap chiffon top and Rag & Bone's black denim mini skirt. "You'll look really sexy, and there are quite handsome guys in Fairy Tail,"

Lucy chuckled. "If you say so," she got up and grabbed the outfit from Levy's hand, eyeing it. "Black heels will do it, right?" she said.

Levy nodded. "You're gonna break some hearts tonight," she joked. Lucy laughed along her.

"Look who's talking," Levy rolled her eyes at it.

"Well, I'm gonna wait in the car for you to get ready. Maybe Gajeel's friend is there, and I don't want them to break my precious car. It's the dark blue one!" Levy called as she exited the apartment, leaving Lucy by her own again.

Checking the clock, she noticed she had only twenty minutes to get ready. She hurried up in getting dressed with the clothes Levy picked. Once ready, she applied dark eyeliner to her chocolate eyes, light blue mask and cherry red lipstick. She let her blonde hair down.

Lucy grabbed her phone, jacket and wallet, before checking herself one last time in the mirror. Well, Levy was right when she said she would look good on it. She felt comfortable and sexy, if she may say. It wasn't vanity, but in the environment she grew up, she learnt to appreciate her own looks. It meant everything in that world.

Lucy shook her head, pushing her thoughts away before they consumed her. It was past, and past it would stay.

She walked down the aisle up the elevator. She lived in floor ten of the building, though she wanted a lower one at first, but they were all occupied. The doors opened and...

 _Fuck._

It was Lucy's first thought when she saw the mean employee of the coffee shop near her house and college, the one who treated her nastily and shamelessly stared at her boobs. Normal people didn't remember who attended them in a shop last week, but it was impossible for Lucy to forget his face, his eyes, his _pink_ hair and that scar in his neck.

He wore a V-neck white shirt with a black leather jacket thrown carelessly over his broad shoulders, jeans and militar boots. He was leaning against the wall, his muscular arms crossed in his chest. He had a bored expression until he saw her.

Surprisingly, he seemed to remember her too. The moment his eyes laid on hers, his opened in surprise and Lucy could swear his mouth opened one centimeter before shutting close again.

Lucy wasn't sure how much time passed until he spat, "Are you gonna get in here or not?"

She snapped back to reality with his rudeness, and remembering the way he treated her the first time, she frowned and walked into the elevator with the little dignity she still had left. She stood the furthest she could from him, crossing her arms under her cleavage, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

"There's no need to be so rude," she said once he pressed the button and the doors closed. Probably not her smartest move, but she couldn't help it.

Natsu hissed. Oh yeah, that was his name, Lucy remembered. It was a long ride until ground floor, and the horrible music that resonated didn't help the situation at all. Seriously, she would complain about it with the owner.

Still, she couldn't believe he lived in the same apartment building of her. In all week, she hadn't seen him, nor in college or here. She didn't visit the coffee shop again either, though she desired to ate that chocolate cake again. Maybe their week's schedules don't let them see each other? Nevertheless, the shock was still there.

About five floors down, Lucy noted Natsu's penetrating eyes into her. It made her uncomfortable. She shifted the weight on her feet, but two floors lower, he still watched her attentively. Clenching her fist, she turned around at him and saw, in fact, his eyes fixed on her. It made her hesitate for a moment, but she glared at him nonetheless.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, you have the biggest ch-" Natsu sweatdropped under Lucy's hard glaze. "-eeks I've ever seen."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. She wasn't a fool and he was a very bad liar, but she gave him credits for the quick back up.

The doors opened and they got out at the same time. Both decided to ignore the brush of their shoulders. They both walked hurriedly towards the main doors, almost in unison. They were dangerously walking towards the same direction...

Lucy spotted the dark blue car, and Levy and Gajeel inside. There wasn't any friend she didn't recognize. Levy was sitting in the conductor's seat with Gajeel on the copilot one, and they seemed to be arguing something. Long forgotten the pink haired male, Lucy reached out her hand to open the backseat door and...

Her hand got covered with another one, much more big, calloused and _warm_.

Lucy turned her head to the left with wide eyes, and saw what she sure didn't expect.

Natsu.

He was right at her side, looking at her with equal shocked expression. Lucy noticed he had not retired his hand off hers.

"The fuck..." he said quietly, yet loud enough for Lucy to hear. Or maybe it was because they were just at three inches away, their breaths mixing with one another's.

Infinite seconds later, Natsu put his hands in his pocket, leaving Lucy's one exposed to the wind. She shivered, not really sure if it was for the cold.

"Levy's friend?" Natsu asked.

"Gajeel's friend?" Lucy asked at the same time. They both stared at each other, incredulous.

"Hey, idiots, get your ass in!" they heard Gajeel's shout from inside the car, snapping them out of their trance.

Lucy's eyes went to Levy, who had an amused gaze directed at her. So, that's why she had so much information about him. Natsu was Gajeel's friend and Gajeel was Levy's soon-to-be-boyfriend. Now it all made sense. Still... It shocked her. Natsu was never there when the group of friends reunited at lunch or in some break. And from what she remembered, she hadn't heard Natsu's name in their conversations. Maybe he was the one the boys referred as _'Flame Ass', 'Flame Brain', 'Stupid Idiot', 'Pyro Freak'_ and many other nicknames.

Natsu let her get into the car first, which surprised her even more. He climbed on after, closing the door behind him. Sitting next to him, so close, felt so strange.

"Okay!" Levy exclaimed from her seat, too eagerly. "Next stop, Fairy Tail!"

 **A/N= Hi! I hope you liked it, I made it extra long for you! Thank you so, so much for the reviews, favorites and follows! You guys rock! Forgive my bad grammar and OOCness, but this is an AU so I think it's not bad. What do you think will happen in Fairy Tail? See you soon, thanks again, and enjoy!**


	3. That Thing About Parties

_**That Thing About Love**_

Fairy Tail was a small bar with old wooden doors and bricks walls that resounded with the loudest music in Magnolia.

And Natsu loved it.

He always liked how the bar seemed to never cease, to never stop partying. It was a place where people could find fun, where no one ever left home without a memory. What made it so special, Natsu didn't know. It was a feeling he got everytime he stepped inside -which happened to be a lot more times than he wanted to admit.

He went there alone, with his stupid friends when one of them got a heartbreak or was feeling bad, or with the girls too sometimes.

"We're... here," Levy said, turning the car off and sighing contently. Natsu saw her smile from the rearview mirror. He liked Levy. She was a cool girl and she could calm Gajeel down.

"Is this Fairy Tail?" the blonde girl asked, scanning eyes watching the place curiously. According to Levy, this girl was Lucy Heartfilia.

Natsu didn't like her. She seemed one of those girl who was always happy, who never had to work to get something. Watching her expensive outfit and pretty face, Natsu was more sure than ever. He hated people like her so much.

But, sadly for him, it seemed his group of friends had already let her in. When he saw them with her, after that day in the coffee shop -where he admitted he wasn't the best gentleman but oh well- he avoided them. Seeing her laughing without a care in the world made him sick.

Maybe he was being a child, as Gray put it, but it made him anger to no ends. It remembered him of...

He shook his head, pushing his thoughts away. Fairy Tail wasn't a place to be lost in thoughts; it required action. It was a place to do whatever you wanted and regret it in the next morning with the worst headache you'd had.

"It is," Levy answered, opening her door and getting out of the car. Gajeel, Natsu and Lucy followed her.

Natsu started to walk towards the door without glancing back. He saw Gajeel standing next to him as he opened the door, and he arched his eyebrow at him.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked, his voice in a tone that said _leave me alone right now or I'll kick your ass._ Right now, he was up for a fight. As long as Erza was the furthest possible from them.

"Seems like ya can't stand Blondie," Gajeel said, his red eyes shining with amusement.

Natsu rolled his eyes. Once inside Fairy Tail, the music got even louder. An endless amount of people were dancing, drinking, kissing, laughing and who knows what else. The smell of sweat and tequila filled Natsu's nose and he inhaled pleasantly.

"Ya think so?" Natsu told Gajeel, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

He didn't know why, exactly, he turned around. Maybe it was an unconscious reflex of his mind to search for the person he was talking about. But he saw how Lucy's brown eyes shone with excitement as she crossed the doors of Fairy Tail.

Natsu turned around again faster than he thought he was capable of, his fist tightening inside the pockets of his leather jacket. Why was his heart running a marathon?

Pushing people aside, Natsu made his way to the bar. He saw Mira preparing some drinks, her long white hair sticking to her porcelain face with sweat. Her blue eyes shone with kindness. The moment she saw him, she smiled widely.

"Hey, Natsu!" she called him.

"Yo, Mira," he said, sitting in his usual spot. Mira instantly started making him his favourite tequila. There was no doubt she was the best bartender in all Fiore, Natsu thought.

"You alone?" she asked.

"Everyone's here," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Somewhere." It was odd, usually some of them went straight there like him. And there was one of them who kinda lived there...

"Natsuuuu," he heard, turning his head around, he found Cana. How could he came to think she wasn't there? It was impossible. Cana was in love with alcohol, after all.

"Cana," he said. The brunette girl smiled drunkenly at him, standing up from her seat and sitting next to him, her arms hugging a bottle of bear. Her brown eyes were glassy, meaning she was tipsy. Eyeing her, Natsu saw she wore a white jacket along... "Are you wearing a bikini?" he asked.

Cana frowned and looked down, seeing -probably for the first time- she wore no shirt and was in fact, in her esmerald bikini top that barely covered anything. At least she had her jeans on.

"Oops," she laughed. Natsu rolled his eyes, but laughed along.

"Where's Bacchus?" Natsu asked her. Bacchus was Cana's sort of boyfriend. They acted like a couple; kissing and spending nights together, but it seemed it was some kind of open relationship. They could be with someone else if they wanted. But Natsu knew Cana liked Bacchus Groh a lot. She told him one night both of them were really drunk; but he still remembered.

Cana shrugged, taking a sip of her bear. "Who knows."

"Here you go," Mira said, putting his drink in front of him. Natsu smirked and drank it, feeling the undescriptable burn going trough his throat, warming him up.

"I thought you were dating?" Natsu asked Cana once Mira left again.

Cana rolled her eyes, pointing at him with her bottle. "You know it's not like that. Being in a relationship is _boooooring,"_ She extended the words, savouring them in her mouth.

Natsu couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Oi, Flame Brain,"

Natsu gritted his teeth at the voice of his best friend/rival/roommate. Neither of them could stand being in the same room for too long without throwing a fist into each other's jaw, but due to the many years of friendship they had, they kind of became like brothers. They even lived together. If you asked Natsu how it happened, he wasn't so sure of the answer himself.

"What do you want, Ice Princess?" he snapped at Gray, who rolled his black eyes at him in response -seriously, what did girls see in him? Natsu wasn't capable of understanding.

"Wanted to know if you're coming with me when we have to get back home,"

"You're not leaving me in the street _again,_ " Natsu said, recalling with bitter the one time Gray left without him and he had to walk home in a _freezing_ night. Sure, Natsu didn't feel the cold the same as others, but there was a limit to it and that night was the proof of it. "After all, you took the car to go to Juvia's earlier."

Natsu noted a long time ago, that whenever Juvia's name popped in the conversation, Gray's eyes had this weird habit of sparking. His lips' corners turned slightly -almost unnoticeable- upwards into a soft smile. It all began when they started dating two years ago.

"I'll make sure to have you in the car before I leave," Gray said, and with that turned around and walked into the crowd, presumably in search of his girlfriend.

And that was the moment Natsu noticed.

"PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK YOU FREAKIN' PERVERT!" he shouted, already knowing it was useless. The music was too loud for him to hear, and even if he did and put his shirt back, he would lose it again. Gray's stripping habit was one of the oddest things Natsu has seen in his entire life and that was saying a lot.

Sighing, Natsu drank a sip of his beverage. It was too early for him to start to feel the effects of the alchol. He probably could go all night like this and just be barely tipsy. He thanked Cana for it.

"Natsuuuu!" a shrill voice yelled, and he could hear how the person came closer. It was confirmed when he felt a pair of soft arms wrap around his neck, hugging him from behind.

He could smell the scent of the whiskey in her breath. Turning around with a smirk, Natsu looked straight into Lisanna sapphire eyes, that though being a little glassy, looked back at him with affect.

"Hey Lisanna," he greeted. The white haired girl pecked him in the lips.

Lisanna Strauss was not Natsu's girlfriend. He was sure he never asked her to become a couple. Though it seemed the younger Strauss had a very, very big crush on him. And it wasn't he didn't like her, he did, but not in that way. Or maybe yes. Himself wasn't sure. It was like they were together, yet, at the same time, they weren't.

He was no one to deny the beauty the girl had -porcelain skin, white short hair, blue eyes that seemed to only show love towards everyone, and a curvy body. She was probably the exact replica of her elder sister Mirajane, only shorter and younger. While Mira was twenty five, Lis was twenty -just like him.

Natsu passed his arms around her tiny waist, deciding it was no time to dwell on those thoughts. He came here tonight to have fun.

"Natsu, how you've been?" Lisanna asked, her sweet voice filling his ears.

His grin remained on his face, despite the urge to roll his eyes -they'd only met yesterday at morning in the university for breakfast. Natsu still considered her as one of his closest friends.

"I'm okay Lis, you already know that," he said.

"But you look weird, like... distracted. Is something bothering you?" she asked, frowning in what Natsu guessed was cute. Her eyebrows knotted together and her nose wrinkled.

Natsu shrugged, lifting one of his broad shoulders. "I'm really okay. Do I look weird?"

Lisanna sighed. "You look distracted, as I said." She leaned in and hugged him tightly, pressing her head in his the crock of his neck. He could feel her breath, her body pressed against his.

"I hate loooove," Cana said. Natsu, who almost forgot she was still there, turned his head in his direction to roll his green eyes at her when something caught her attention. Or someone, to be exact.

He spotted a blonde hair some meters away. Squinting his eyes, he could make Lucy's face out in the distance. Levy was with her, and they laughed. That was, until Lucy saw him and Lisanna and her smile transformed in a confused frown. He watched how her mouth moved, probably asking Levy about them, since the bluenette fixed her gaze on them too and started speaking. Natsu thanked his hawk eyes for the million time in his life.

Even if it intrigued him, he decided to shrug it off. After all, Lucy was too that kind of girl who loved gossip too, probably.

"Stop drinking Cana, tomorrow you'll feel like your head is gonna explode," Lisanna said, looking at the brunette with a playful smile. She has entwined their hands.

Natsu scoffed. "The day she stops drinking I'll marry Gray,"

"You're so mean!" Lisanna said, pocking at his chest with her finger. She tried a smile, but her eyes were unmistakably disappointed. Natsu's smile hesitated. "We have to help her, not challenge her,"

Cana, on the other hand, was bending over her stomach, laughing till she had no breath in her lungs. It was enough to make him laugh again.

Lisanna sighed in front of him, shaking her head, her gaze shifting between him and their drunk brunette friend. "What I'm gonna do about you two," she said, the corner of her lips turning upwards.

A new song started playing, and Natsu recognized it as her favorite. Lisanna face lighted up with excitement and she started to drag him to the dance floor before he even had the opportunity to know what was happening. He saw his 'friend' laugh and smile.

"But Lissss," he objected. "I don't want to dance,"

Lisanna made him puppy eyes. "Pleasee! You know I love this song! You have to dance it with me!"

How could he say no to her? She was so cute when she made that face. Rolling his eyes, he agreed to _only dance this one_ and then Lisanna jumped in excitement and smashed her sweet lips against his rough ones, in a fierce kiss that left them both longing for air.

So they danced.

Natsu wasn't ashamed of his dancing skills, though he couldn't say he was the best out there.

That was the other time where he saw Lucy that night. He saw her dancing with Levy and Juvia at first, and then with a guy. He saw her laugh and smile and twist her hips along to the beat of the song.

He ended up dancing more than one song. The reason? He had no idea. But he could tell Lisanna was more than happy about it.

At some point, Lisanna spotted Lucy too. He was grateful she didn't call the blonde to come and join them. But she asked him;

"Hey, do you know Lucy?"

"Yeah,"

"Don't you think she's really nice?"

"I don't," Natsu snapped at her. The way he said it left no room to more questions. It was only later on that he apologized for his rude tone to Lisanna, and she forgave him with a kiss.

She was always kissing him, in _every_ opportunity she got. But Natsu wasn't the one to complain. Lisanna was an excellent kisser.

It was about four or five a.m. when Gray went where he was at the bar with Cana and Lisanna. Juvia was with him. And Lucy, Levy and Gajeel too.

"Hey Flame Ass, we're leaving," Gray told him.

Natsu tried to separate a too tipsy Lisanna from his arm and looked at him. "Now?" he asked.

"Yeah" Gray said, scratching the back of his neck with a goofy smile. _'Oh no,'_ Natsu thought. He knew what it meant. "I'm gonna drop Lucy and you to the building. Seems she lives there too."

Natsu growled at the thought of sharing another drive with the blonde. "And you're gonna go to Juvia's?" Gray nodded. "Oh God bless her,"

To say Juvia's face was red was an understatement, but her dreamy eyes were glued to Gray's... naked back. It was a shock he didn't lose his pants yet. Gray only scowled at him.

"Let's go," he growled. "Bye, everyone!"

Natsu, Juvia and Lucy said their goodbyes too before following Gray to the car. The brezee that flowed in the night was chilling, and the stars and the moon shone above in the dark sky.

Natsu hated when Gray drove. It wasn't he was a bad driver... but sitting in _their_ car, in the _backseat..._ he hated it. But when younger, they made this rule: whoever had the girl drove. And lately it was Gray who always drove. Natsu thought it was one of the perks of having a girlfriend.

The car started to made its way trough the road, and Natsu saw Lucy with his peripheral sight. She had her jacket on and was brushing her hands together to create some heat. Despite it, she had locks of hair sticked to her face with sweat. Her cheeks were flushed. Juvia turned in her seat and started to talk to her as if they've been best friends all their lives. Just what the heck...

Natsu practically jumped out of the car when it stopped in front of their building. It was raining when they arrived. He walked as fast as he could without running inside, smiling vaguely at the doorman, who was most asleep than awake. He heard the door opening behind him and heels' click on the marmol floor. Cursing under his breath, he pressed the button to call for the elevator.

It opened its doors when it reached the ground floor, and Natsu walked in with his hands in his pockets. Lucy stepped in too, a challenging attitude written in all her. He gritted his teeth.

The doors closed at the same time Natsu saw a lighting hit the floor some miles away.

 **A/N= First of all, thank to all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. It means a lot more than you think. They gave me motivation to keep writing, thank you! Second, I don't want people hating on Lisanna or Nali; although my OTP is Nalu, I like Lisanna a lot. So I would appreciate if you don't hate her or this story because of this. Next chapter is going to be full of Nalu, so keep out an eye for the next update, which hopefully is going to be soon! And third, I would be really happy if you could check out the other story I started, it's called "Fairy in the Woods" and I would love if you read it and told me what you thought. Again, thank you and I love you!**


	4. That Thing About Fear

_**That Thing About Love**_

It had been a slow, peaceful elevator ride until the lights suddenly went off.

Natsu should have guessed -after witnessing that lightning- that it was very dangerous, that they should have gone by stairs to their departments -even if they lived up in the 10th and 11th floor- so that they weren't dragged into this situation.

But he wasn't the one to think, and it seemed the girl beside him wasn't on her brightest moment either.

It took long seconds for him to get his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could barely make out the silhouette of Lucy, leaning against the opposite wall, her hands in a iron grip on the elevator's railings. He could hear her heavy breathing.

He waited some more seconds to see if she moved to press the alarm button, but she seemed too concentrated in her own thoughts to even lift a finger. Natsu rolled his eyes and did it himself. A tired voice resonated in the small cabin seconds later.

"Please wait some a moment until the help arrives. Turn on the emergency light. We are sorry for the inconvenient, do not panick. The help is coming."

"Help my ass," Natsu said under his breath, but turned on the light anyways. He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He yawned, tired from all the dancing he did with Lisanna around a hour ago.

The loud, heart-breaking sob that interrupted the calm silence made him snap out of his sleepy world and look at the blonde girl. She had her hand over her mouth, as if to try to be quiet, but he could see the tears dripping from her eyes. She was shaking.

Natsu, totally awaken by now, widened his eyes at the view. Did he say or do something wrong? Well, he knew the 90% of the things he did/said were harsh and bad and cruel, but he was pretty sure he didn't cross words with her all the way there. Or maybe she was crying because of that? How could he possibly know?

He coughed awkwardly to get her attention. She gave no response.

"Umm," Natsu said, "You okay?"

And as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how stupid it sounded. Of course she was not okay, she was in stuck elevator crying her eyes out probably afraid of the unknown guy who was her only company in a delicate situation.

Natsu bit his lower lip, trying to think of a way to help h-

What. Since when he had the urge to help _her_? He had been thinking all night of how he hated her, and now, looking at her all _exposed,_ showing him her weakest side even if she didn't want to, how delicate she seemed, he couldn't help but think she shouldn't be like that. His heart clenched.

Maybe it was the alcohol affecting his system, or something else, but he knelt beside her and quietly said,

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

Through her glassy eyes, she looked at him. Her gaze was distant, somewhere else. He noticed how her hand moved to her neck and caressed it, her breathing becoming even more difficult.

"What's the problem?" he asked again, putting all the little softness he could master in his words. The sounds of the storm outside reached his ears.

"I-I..." Lucy murmured, trembling. The tears made her eyeliner stain her cheeks. She was a mess.

"Yes?" he asked.

She started to inhale by her mouth too, and Natsu noticed how her skin turned pallid. "I'm..." she coughed.

Natsu couldn't help but to start to feel nervous himself. What was he supposed to do in a moment like this? He tugged at his hair to clear his mind and calm down. And it was in that moment that he _realized_.

"You're claustrophobic?" he asked, his eyes wide enough to make him think they would pop out.

His fears confirmed when she nodded, the hand on the railing now on her neck too. She was having a panic attack and Natsu would have one himself if it kept going on like that. He stood up again and pressed the emergency button again, and the same voice answered.

"Please wait a moment, the help is-"

"She's claustrophobic!" he said, trying to be low, but even he noticed the frantic tone in his voice. He only hoped she didn't hear him.

"The help is coming." the doorman repeated. "Please wait some minutes."

Angered, Natsu kneeled again. He couldn't believe himself; couldn't believe that he was worrying about the girl he had hated since the moment he first saw her. She looked so... vulnerable now, and he had this weird urge to comfort her. Maybe that was what Igneel meant when he told him not to judge people?

"So, um..." he coughed awkwardly, licking his lips. "Help is on its way..."

He couldn't believe how much of a loser he had become. He was sure the Ice Bastard would be laughing at him now if he saw him like this. This was the result of not interacting deeply with a girl in many years besides Lisanna, but Lisanna was always okay as far as she let him know.

Natsu frowned in concentration. It seemed his brain would explode at any minute by now and the ash left off his neurons would be the only thing to keep company to Lucy.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" he shouted to the four walls surrounding him.

Lucy watched him with a weird frown and a curious look as she battled for air. He cursed under his breath; now the blonde girl would have a reason to mock him forever. And when was that help going to arrive?

"Oi," Lucy said. Deep, deep in his heart Natsu recognized she had a sweet voice. Oh damn it all. "I-I okay."

Natsu's eyes widened. Anyone in their right mind would know that this girl was in any means okay, so what was the purpose on saying that? She was still short of air, with tears falling from her chocolate eyes and her hands still clenched around her neck as if she was smothering.

"Umm... the guy said help was coming..."

"You already said that," Lucy said, making efforts to let her voice leave her throat -it was raspy, but it still sounded like her normal one. She had a sympathetic sparkle on her gaze.

Natsu scowled, ashamed. He couldn't ignore the little heat up of his cheeks. Was she making fun of him too? He was here, trying to do something for her, and she _dared_ to laugh? He felt furiousness igniting inside him.

"If you're gonna laugh at me," Natsu warned, "Forget I'll help you anymore."

 _Liar,_ a voice whispered inside him. Even if he wanted, he couldn't do it. Igneel raised him like that, and it wasn't like he wanted to, either. It was an empty threat, but by the way Lucy reacted -her eyes widening with fear, her body automatically moving the furthest it could from him- he knew she took it seriously.

Why couldn't he do something right?

He looked away from her, trying to hide his eyes under his bangs. "S-sorry..." he whispered, so low that he was certain she didn't hear it.

"I''m sorry," he heard. His head shot back at her direction, sitting at the corner of the small elevator. It seemed her battle with oxygen was finally won by her, but she was still crying. "My panic attacks only last some minutes, but they're hell."

Natsu looked at her attentively. The corner of her lips had turned slightly upwards into a small sad smile, with her gaze fixed on her sandals. She shouldn't be the one apologizing and he knew it deep inside. It was a undeniable truth; he had been the one with the horrible attitude, but he wasn't able to find the words to say sorry properly to her.

What was this girl doing to him? He hand't had the need to apologize this bad in such a long time, maybe years...

"But it's kinda okay now," she continued. "As long as the help arrives soon." She gave a nervous, tense laugh and all he could do was to stare at her in amazement while he, too, hoped for it. It had been horrible to watch her suffer like that, being unable to do anything, even if he kind of hated her.

"Oh," it was the only thing he could master. He felt so stupid. Should he try to start a conversation to make her feel better? Should he leave her alone? What the heck was he supposed to do?

The normal lights turned on in the split of a second. The elevator shook and it started going down slowly, in its normal velocity.

Natsu saw Lucy's curious yet hopeful eyes travel the small cabin. He couldn't tear his eyes off her, though. It seemed the help finally arrived.

The doors opened and revealed some maintenance guys smiling proudly at their work, and the scared doorman watching with a relieved expression as he scanned the insides.

"Is the lady okay?" the red-haired gatekeeper said, his fingers playing with the hem of his own shirt.

Lucy smiled at him, wiping the tears off with the back of her hand. "I am now, thank you."

"I'm 'kay too," Natsu growled, putting his hands inside his jeans as he rolled his dark green eyes.

Lucy giggled, and Natsu noticed she was looking at him. It didn't anger him now, though. She sure didn't look like someone who just had a horrible panic attack from claustrophobia in a small elevator at five a.m. with a scary stranger.

"It should be safe now," one of the repair man said. "The electricity shouldn't go off anymore, and the storm calmed down."

"Thank you." Lucy said, and she pressed the button to her floor again. When the doors closed again, she added, "Yours is eleventh, right?"

Snapping out of his shock, because c'mon, who got a panic attack and then acted like nothing? "Yeah," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Okay then,"

* * *

 **A/N= Sorry for being this late! And I have this feeling that this chapter sucked, but please leave your comments, any of them is really welcomed! Thank you for supporting this story the way you do! Please follow me at Tumblr, I use the same name there! I'll be very thankful and I'll follow you back for sure!**


	5. That Thing About Gratitude

_**That Thing About Love**_

* * *

Lucy stared awkwardly at the shop in front of her.

People came in and out from the little door at the side, but she couldn't bring her feet to obey her commands. It was as if she was glued to the sidewalk.

She was aware she looked like a stupid -standing out of a coffee shop but not going inside- and she couldn't care less. In fact, she was only trying to get out of the vision of a certain employee there at the same time she tried to get the will to step in.

She wasn't sure what was exactly stopping her. She only wanted to say thank you, and maybe give him something in gratitude. It wasn't like she was going to do something strange, right? It was the least she could do for him after what he did for her in that elevator two days ago.

Lucy cursed under her breath, remembering how long it had taken her to actually say thanks.

Inhaling deeply one last time before arranging her skirt, she looked through the window of the shop. As she expected, most of the tables were occupied, but the cash was empty.

And it was then when she made eye contact with a pair of dark green pools.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her confused, though she couldn't blame him. It wasn't very normal to stalk someone at their jobs, after all.

Gathering up all the courage she could master, she finally made her feet obey and walked inside the small shop. As soon as she crossed the door, the scent of chocolate and sweet coffee filled her nostrils. It somehow made her worries go away.

She walked up to the pink haired man standing behind the counter. His wild hair was spread out in every direction, and she still could see a bit of the tattoos he hided under his shirt. He still looked very dangerous, giving off an alarming aura, but Lucy, after seeing him that night, wasn't going to fall for that facade.

"Can I help you?" he asked. His expression was unreadable; his eyes looking at her questioningly and judging, as if he was wondering what was she up to.

"Actually," Lucy started, "I just came here to say thank you."

Natsu frowned, his sharp eyes fixed on her. "That's all?"

"Uh?" Lucy said, obviously taken aback by the harshness in his voice. She opened and closed her mouth before actually saying, "What do you mean, _'that's all_ '?"

"I meant that," Natsu said. "Besides, what the heck were you doing out there? You're really weird,"

Ignoring his words, Lucy gritted her teeth. Anger ran through her veins, making her head ache.

"I came all the way here to thank you!" she exclaimed, a bit louder than she intended.

Natsu looked at her bored. "Great. Now you said it, you can leave."

Lucy bit her lip in an attempt to calm herself down and not let the anger take her. Why was being nice so difficult when it came to him?

"But," she said, lowering her gaze and fixing her eyes on her shoes, "What you did for me that night was really nice. I don't think saying 'thank you' would be enough,"

When no response came, Lucy looked up to him. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open, even if only one centimeter. He looked so shocked, it made her chest sting for some reason.

"That's just enough," Natsu said. He avoided her gaze.

"It isn't!" she insisted. "Not everyone act the way you did in that kind of situation,"

And she gave proof of that.

"You really helped me," she continued. "That's why I wanted to thank you."

"You don't have to," Natsu replied, shrugging. He still didn't look at her in the eye.

"Stop trying to play it cool!" Lucy hissed, frowning at him. She tried not to yell in order to not interrupt the peaceful aura of the coffee shop. "If I say I want to thank you I'm going to thank you!"

It was Natsu's turn to roll his eyes. "How then?"

Well, it sure was a surprise. She wasn't expecting him to agree that quickly.

She put her finger on her chin as she thought. She didn't miss the way his eyes followed the motion.

"Let me... take you out on dinner," Lucy said.

And as soon as the words left her, both of them looked at each other with wide, shocked eyes.

She didn't know what exactly made her say that, but it felt right, somehow. Paying him some food was the least she could think of after what she made him go through... But now, looking at him, at his face... She stopped to consider what having a dinner with him could mean.

Like, he probably hated her and she probably hated him too. The probabilities of this working out were almost nule. What would they talk about? Would he even agree to this?

"Uh..." Lucy managed, taking a strand of hair in her fingers and twisting it. "Only if you can. But I'd really be happy if you say yes, since you did so much for me in that elevator, and I-"

"Okay," he said.

"What?" she asked, perplexed.

He was looking at her nonchalantly, but she still could see the nervousness in his dark pools. Well, at least she wasn't the only one freaking out by the whole situation.

"I said okay," Natsu repeated, pretending annoyance.

Lucy blinked a couple of times, "Great."

"Great," Natsu said, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind. Lucy turned around to see a furious old man looking at them, his jaw clenched. "Stop this ridiculousness and go away, stupid girl. People here are starving,"

Lucy bit her pride and stepped aside, letting the man stand in front of the counter to order his food. She had tons of come-backs in her mind, but really, that man wasn't worth her time.

"I want a chocolate cake, plus-" the man said, only to be interrupted by Natsu.

"Oh sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "We just closed."

"Excuse me?" the man said, as shocked as Lucy.

"I said we closed," Natsu repeated, a dangerous spark in his eyes as he looked at the old man. "So you can leave now,"

"That's impossible," the man said. "It's midday. People are here."

"It's only open for nice people. I don't like you, so it's closed for you. Get lost," Natsu threatened, making the man squirm under his gaze. Lucy shivered.

"I-I'll talk to your boss!" the man exclaimed in an attempt to not be so humilliated, but he only managed to make it worse.

Natsu arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he said. "Want me to call him over?"

And Lucy thought the man was going to explode. His head was so red, and a vein throbbed dangerously in his forehead. Still, she couldn't tell if he was red from anger or embarrassment. The man tightened his fists as he turned around and left the shop, speechless.

Lucy watched it all in silence, her chocolate eyes drifting between the two males. When the door closed, she turned around to face her recently found neighbor again.

"You didn't have to be so rude," she said. And this time, when she said those words, her voice was soft, overwhelmed with worry. Even herself was surprised.

Natsu scoffed when he stopped staring at her. "He was the rude one."

"It's because he called me stupid?" Lucy asked. "I don't mind, actually."

"That's not it," Natsu said, playing with cash register. But, oh my God was that pink in his cheeks?

Lucy couldn't help it when the corners of her lips turned slightly upwards. She tried not to smile openly, as he seemed to be a very sensitive person. One bad reaction and everything would go down.

She didn't want that. She wanted to figure out why he treated her the way he did, especially since her new friends commented with her about how Natsu was normally. Not very different, but they said he wasn't actually _that_ mean.

"Great," Lucy said softly.

"Great," Natsu said, still not looking into her eyes.

"See you at seven in the lobby," Lucy said. "I'll be there."

"Great,"

"Great."

* * *

Lucy tapped her fingertips against the armchair, watching her neighbors go in and out of the building as she waited.

She's been sitting there for whole twenty minutes, and there still wasn't a single signal from him. Though, she should have expected this.

He had said _great_ , but it didn't mean he was actually showing up for this dinner thing. Because obviously he wouldn't want to go out with a girl he hated, right? There was no possible way for someone-

The elevator's door opened and Natsu Dragneel stepped out.

Lucy eyed him -from his always disheveled hair, to his sharp eyes and then to his leather jacket hanging lazily over his broad shoulders. He had managed to look causal, but his attire was perfect for something like that.

Lucy then became aware of her own outfit -a navy blue blouse, a pair of denim shorts and black heels. Her hair was tied up in a side pony-tail. She was comfortable and she felt pretty, so it was more than okay.

She waited until his eyes landed on her. His left eyebrow raised, looking at her expectantly.

She gave him the same look. "You actually showed up," she stated.

He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Well, who am I to turn down dinner,"

"You tried to earlier," Lucy pointed out, standing up from her seat.

Instead of glaring at her as she expected him to, he lifted his shoulder again. "Changed my mind," he said.

Lucy chuckled. "Alright then,"

When she stopped laughing, she found a pair of green eyes watching her with surprise written all over them.

"Something's wrong?" she asked, frowning. Oh God if she had something in her face, may the Earth swallow her right there.

"Uh," Natsu said, snapping out of his daydream. "No."

Deciding to shrug it off, Lucy smiled. "Okay then! I know this place where the food is just delicious..."

* * *

 **A/N= Gahh they're actually progressing! Yay! And next chapter's will be full of Nalu! Anyways, thank you for the lovely words some of you told me, and thanks too for favoriting and following the story! It really makes me happy! Hope you liked today's chapter as well. It was really funny to write!**

 **And I'd love too if you check out my other story, Hunt of Secrets. It's Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza and Gajevy if anyone's interested. But it's not only about shipping, actually. I gave it a more serious plot! Thanks!**


	6. That Thing About Evenings

_**That Thing About Love**_

* * *

Neither of them spoke too much on their short way to the restaurant, only Lucy's occasional efforts to start up a conversation, but it was meaningless when he seemed so determinate to snap at her short answers.

So she gave up mid way, and the rest of it they shared a weird silence. Lucy had noticed his distant gaze; his eyes looking everywhere, but nowhere. He seemed out of focus, but she decided against asking him what was wrong.

He'd snap at her again, anyways.

"Here we are!" she said, forcing a smile to her lips. 8-Island was not a fancy food place, but the atmosphere was always familiar and comfy, so she hoped it would help to calm down Natsu's aggressiveness. Besides, the food Yajima cooked was absolutely delicious.

"Uh?" Natsu asked, his eyes finally coming to present time and looking at the doors in front of them, where a family just exited.

"This is 8-Island," Lucy explained. "Have you come here before?"

"No." he said. "Not enough money to go out."

Lucy blinked at him, perplexed. She surely wasn't expecting that. Many question popped in her mind as she watched him. How did he manage to pay the rent of his apartment if he couldn't afford eating outside? It was quite expensive, and she didn't believe Gray paid it all. Was that why he worked on the coffee shop?

"Stop staring." he said, his voice harsh.

Lucy snapped out of her trance, blushing when she realized he had noticed the look she was giving him. Her heart speed up.

"S-Sorry," she apologized, lowering her head and entering the place to avoid his gaze ever again -well, for some seconds, actually.

The scent of fries, chocolate and meat; all of them suffocated her the second she stepped inside. It should've been weird, but Lucy found it very enjoyable. She could see some families in the tables, old people and a particular group of friends laughing in the corner.

As they passed through them to get a seat, one of the teenage boys shouted, "Yo blondie, wanna seat with us?"

Lucy stopped in her tracks to glare at him. From her peripheral vision, she saw Natsu scowl, an angry look on his dark eyes. He seemed ready to start a fight, but she put a hand on his chest to prevent it.

Smiling sweetly, she said, "Sorry, I don't seat with kids."

As they continued, she could hear the laughter of the boy's friend, mocking him for his failed attempt at 'flirting'.

They sat next to the window, tables away of the high school students, and Lucy sighed. She looked up to see her pink haired companion, and what she found was a surprised expression from him.

"What?" she asked, feeling her face heat up.

"Nothing," he murmured fastly, avoiding her, "Do you... uh... do you always have to put up with jerks like that?"

Shocked, Lucy stared at him with wide eyes. A warmth sensation went through her body, and she gave him a true sweet smile. She waved it off as if it didn't matter, "Ah, don't sweat it. It's nothing."

"I think it is something." Natsu said, too serious all of sudden. "It's really disgusting."

"Well," Lucy said, playing with the hem of her shirt, "It is, but it doesn't surprise me anymore."

"What do you mean?" he asked. He looked genuinely curious, which made him look kind of cute.

Lucy shrugged, "It's happened to me my entire life, I guess. Since I was ten."

"Uh?" Natsu's face was priceless, and she'd laughed at it if it weren't because he looked very worried and surprised.

So she only smiled, "I guess the environment I grew up at was like that," she didn't feel like sharing such dark details in a nice place like that, and besides, she didn't know him that much. Maybe someday, but definitely not now.

"Oh." he said, and she felt like he really understood.

"Anyways," she sighed, showing him a toothed, wide smile, "What would you like to it? The treat is on me."

"You sure?" he said, smirking. At least the uneasy mood form before vanished. "I don't want you to be unable to pay your rent this month."

"So this is how it goes?" Lucy arched her eyebrows amusingly.

He shrugged, "I'll trust you with the money."

As in on cue, the gorgeous waitress of the restaurant, Evergreen, appeared next to their table in her pretty orange uniform. Her blondish, brown hair was tied up in a bun; her eyes hidden behind her eyeglasses. Her mouth was painted a tempting, sexy shade of red. Lucy eyed her, feeling completely defeated. Evergreen smiled at them, though Lucy could say it wasn't directed at her at all.

"Good night, what will you like to order?" she asked.

"I'd like spaghetti," Lucy said.

"Well, I'd like…" Natsu said, and both of the young women looked at him with wide, shocked eyes as he practically ordered the whole menu. Speechless, Evergreen left towards the kitchen behind the counter.

Lucy inhaled deeply as she eyed her company for the night. "You're crazy."

Natsu flashed her another smirk, mixed with amusement, pride and madness. Oh God, what had she gotten herself into?

She shook her head, already feeling the pain that would be handing her credit card to pay for their 'little' dinner. Maybe it'd have been better if he refused at first…

 _No_ , she told herself. _It is something he deserves, after all._

It didn't matter if he had been a dick with her since they met. He still helped her when she needed him, so maybe there was kindness in his rotten heart, after all.

"Anyways," Lucy said. "I hope I can make it up to you with this."

Natsu watched her sweet smile, his eyes unreadable. "I don't get why are you so insistent with that. Didn't I tell you it was alright?"

Lucy blushed. "I-I know!" she said, avoiding his piercing eyes. "But still…"

"Still what?" he asked.

Lucy sighed, acknowledging she already lost the battle. "I had many panic attack in the past, you know, and I guess it shocked me when you helped me, since a lot of people just decided to ignore me."

He didn't look surprised, nor shocked; he just looked as if he already knew it. The eyes of a person who had witnessed a lot, and yet here was, enduring it all.

"I see." Natsu said, cupping his chin in his calloused hand.

And he spoke no more, and decided instead to gaze off.

It was the first time Lucy stopped to think the spontaneity that drove them where they were now, and how amusing it would've been to her if someone told her it was going to happen two days ago. Because really, going out on dinner with Natsu Dragneel wasn't on her plans.

Carefully, she eyed him. They had never been this close, even it a small table separated them, and he holding her while she was panicking didn't count.

His weird, wild pink hair rarely looked softer up close. She noticed slight dark circles under his sharp, dark and tired eyes. She noticed for the first time, that tiny, shiny earring in his left ear. It had been hidden under the messy locks of his ear, but now, she got a good close look at it. Lucy could still see the ending of a red and black tattoo in the side of his neck, barely covered by that scarf of his.

"Here you go," Evergreen stepped at their side, a weird smile on her face. She put down Lucy's order in front of her, and about other five men held Natsu's food. Another one brought another table, indeed, so it could fit.

Lucy was too awestruck to say anything, and in the blink of an eye, Natsu's distant expression became an happy, ear-to-ear grin. All of the employees left, but she still could feel all the weird glances they were receiving.

"How are you even going to eat that much?" Lucy shrieked, trying not to yell in astonishment.

"Wanna bet?" Natsu eyed her, wiggling his eyebrows at her in some kind of challenge that held something more and made her stomach lit a fire.

She lifted her hands in surrender. "No thanks. Go ahead."

To say she was utterly shocked was a complete understatement.

As she slowly ate her own, small plate of food, Natsu devoured everything like fire burning down a house; fast and wild, never ending. He wasn't as graceful as flames were, with crumbs spilling out and staying in his chin, gulping down an entire glass of water and not even shooting her a single glance. He ate silently, or as much as he could.

"Do you… need something?" Lucy offered quietly as he bit off chicken. She twitched her eye when he didn't answer, only focusing on eating like an animal.

Sighing, she continued to eat slowly, watching him. A part -one really weird and dangerous- thought Natsu actually looked… like a cute little kid, despite his rude appearance. His eyes shone at the mention of any food, and the way his face was getting so dirty… it was _almost_ adorable.

Her phone vibrated inside her pocket, and considering how Natsu didn't even bat an eyelash at her, she took it out to read Levy's message.

 _Hey Lucy, wanna come over and pull of a movie night?_

Lucy shook her head, imagining her friend's face if she told her what was happening right now. She considered to do it, but she guessed the short-tempered boy in front of her would get pissed again, and it would throw away any progress they had until now.

She didn't want to.

"Whatcha doin'?" a muffled voice asked, and Lucy lifted her gaze, with amazement, to find Natsu looking at her with curious eyes.

Like a freaking, _adorable_ lost puppy.

How many faces did this boy have?

"Uh… Levy sent me a text," Lucy told him.

"Oh…" he said, gulping down a bite of meat. "Tell her I say hi."

Lucy's eyes bugged out in total shock. That was definitely not the answer she had been waiting.

"You sure?" she asked, only to check if she had heard him right.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"Okay…" she said, before typing it down, along the lines _Sorry, I can't tonight. Maybe tomorrow?_

"Why are you claustrophobic, anyway?" he asked.

Lucy frowned, wondering why he talked so much now. The answer was literally in front of her when with her very own eyes, she saw all the empty dishes lying scattered around the table. Knowing it was the best not to comment on it, she sighed.

He must've seen her expression, because he hurriedly added, "You don't answer if you don't want to."

She smiled softly and shrugged, "It's okay, really. Not a secret, anyways."

Lucy watched him blink a couple of times before she continued. "When I was young, after… my mom died, I locked myself up in the attic and cried there several hours…" her voice cracked up, but she swallowed it down, "And when I wanted to get outta there because it was really creepy, I found the door locked with key. I guess I got too scared, and I screamed for help, but I ended up staying there the whole night… and I guess I got…"

"Oh." He said.

He didn't add anything else, but his eyes were enough for her. It told her much more than words could convey.

And she was grateful.

"Anyway," Lucy said, trying to smile cheerfully. "My attacks aren't as bad as before, so I call it progress."

Natsu's lips quirked up. "Guess so."

Lucy felt truly content to see him so open up like this now, he looked much more relaxed than before, and she dared to say he was much friendly-

"I think we should go now."

Lucy wanted to grab her fork right there and threw it in the middle of her forehead for ruining the moment, but he looked dead serious.

"Uh -why?"

He frowned at her, "What why? We already finished our food."

Lucy blinked several times, looking at him with a straight face -she guessed there was no coming back now, he had said it and he was going to do it.

"Okay…" she murmured, before calling Ever over and paying for the meal. They quickly stood up and exited the familiar restaurant, leaving the delicious scent behind 8-Island doors.

The sun had started to hide behind the horizon, the sky getting a beautiful shade of pink, red and light blue. The moon had appeared in the middle of it, barely visible and ready to shine later. A cold breeze blew, making Lucy shiver. It had been obviously hotter an hour ago, but she guessed the weather wasn't one to be trusted.

She glared enviously at Natsu, with his scarf wrapped around his neck and the leather jacket hanging lazily over his shoulders again.

It looked so warm…

"Ya going home?" he asked. She may as well imaginated it, but it was as if some walls had been lifted, the harshness of his gaze returning.

"Yeah," she said.

"I'm going elsewhere." he said, not looking at her. Suddenly, in the split of a second, he shoved her his black, big leather jacket into her surprised arms. "Night then."

Lucy could only blink and gasp as she watched his back walking in the opposite direction, where the sun was hiding and the night awoke.

* * *

 _You hope and pray the right one comes along_

 _But some fools don't know what they've got till it's gone_

 _The very one you think will never hurt ya_

 _Always seems to be, the one that does_

 _Whoa, that's the thing about love_

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the extremely long wait, I've been very bussy and I'm really sorry. Thank you so much for all your support, it's really meaningful to me and for this story. Hope this chapter made it up for you!**_


	7. That Thing About Boxing

_**That Thing About Love**_

* * *

"You what?" Levy shouted for the second time that night.

Lucy sighed, rubbing her eyes. It's already been a whole day after her dinner with Natsu, and the adrenaline rollercoaster she felt in that two hours still tired her when she remembered it.

Maybe telling Levy and Juvia, her newest friend, had been a mistake. They'd been shocked about it, but they assured her Natsu wasn't as bad as she thought.

"I invited him to dinner," Lucy rolled her eyes.

"That's so sweet of you, Lucy!" Juvia squealed, a bright smile on her face. The smile of a girl in love.

"It was only to thank him…" Lucy murmured, spinning in her desk chair.

"Thank him for what?" Levy inquired, her big, curious brown eyes scanning Lucy up and down, searching for any detail that may reveal some more information.

"For… he helped me with something;" Lucy avoided the wasn't prepared to say she was claustrophobic.

She still didn't know why she'd been so open with Natsu yesterday.

"With what?" Juvia asked innocently.

"Uh… something," Lucy bit her lip.

"Hm… you're hiding something and I'll find out what this is!" Levy exclaimed, standing up from her spot in the floor with her tiny fists raised. She then pointed at a blushing Lucy with her finger. "I can smell something's going on here."

"W-What are you talking about?" Lucy sputtered. "Nothing happened. He just left me without money," she finished with a scowl.

She could practically smell the lack of money in her wallet and credit card for the next two months.

Juvia giggled. "Juvia thinks Lucy looks happier."

The heat of her face increased considerably. "I don't!"

"Lucy is in love!" Levy sang, laughing and running through the room as Lucy chased her.

"I am not!" Lucy yelled. What had gotten to them?

"So romantic!" Juvia giggled, "Natsu even gave her his jacket!"

And they all froze.

But the moment of surprise finished when Levy squealed, "Oh my God!"

The blue-haired girl ran up to Lucy's bed, where the leather jacket laid. Levy grabbed it, looking at it as if it was something priceless. The jacket alone seemed to be bigger than the tiny girl behind it.

"Why do you deny it was a date?" Levy asked, shaking her head. "Met him little over a week ago and you got him, Lu, you're my heroine!"

"Poor Lisanna," Juvia commented.

"Uh? What about Lisanna?" Lucy asked, blinking.

"Oh," Levy lowered the jacket, "Right."

"What about Lisanna?" Lucy asked again. "Are they dating?"

Now she felt a bit bad for inviting him, though it wasn't romantic at all.

"Not exactly," Levy sat in the bed, frowning. "They only kiss, and maybe… uh… go a little further, but they're not a couple. I think Lisanna loves him, but Natsu only likes her as a friend. Maybe he didn't stop her because he doesn't want to break her heart."

"Oh…" Lucy said.

"Don't feel down," Levy winked at her. "It may mean something!" she held up the piece of clothe again, her face shining.

Lucy wondered how everyone could change emotions so fast. Was it a college thing or what?

"It doesn't mean anything," Lucy rolled her eyes. "He gave me it because I was cold."

"Aww," Juvia cooed at her side.

"It's not cute!" Lucy argued, crossing her arms.

"Are you going to give it back?" Levy giggled, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God, you're right!" Lucy said, widening her eyes. She took it away from Levy's hands, "Where can I find him now? Is he in his apartment?"

Chuckling, Juvia said, "Gray told Juvia Natsu is in his boxing club at this hour,"

"Boxing club?" Lucy asked. "But it's 8 p.m.!"

"Yeah," Levy shrugged. "But that doesn't stop him,"

"I can see." Lucy eyed the jacked in her hands. She remembered the smell of burnt and fire mixed with man perfume. It has been nice. "Where is it? I must give it to him as soon as possible,"

Juvia told her the address of the club. It wasn't that far away, four blocks, exactly. Lucy put on her own jacket, and grabbed her phone and wallet.

"I'll be right back," Lucy told. "Wait for me a moment,"

As she closed the doors, she heard her friend's laughter inside.

* * *

The smell of sweat was gross, and Lucy wrinkled her nose at it. The gym was full of half-naked men walking around, but all of them stopped to look as Lucy made her way through the hallway, searching for pink hair.

She tried to block the sweaty scent with the jacket, hugging it close to her body. It helped a lot, thankfully.

"Uh… Can we help you, miss?" a man asked her. He looked around thirty, also shirtless with well defined muscles. His kind eyes looked at her expectantly.

"I'm looking for Natsu Dragneel," she said sheepishly.

"Natsu?" the man asked, surprised. He then smiled. "Looks like he got himself a good girlfriend,"

Lucy blushed, begging the Earth would swallow her, as everyone laughed out loud at what seemed an inner joke of them.

"Oh, don't worry, miss." the man laughed, looking at her sympathetically. "Natsu's still training over there, good luck."

Lucy thanked him before rushing out of the room, crossing double doors and stepping into a bigger room, where four rings were aligned. There were a lot of benches, boxing gloves, water bottles and punching bags.

In one of them, she found Natsu.

His face showed concentration as he threw endless punches at the bag, his gloved hands hitting without holding back. His body was covered in sweat, his bangs sticking to his face. And he was shirtless.

A good six pack and a pair of strong biceps greeted Lucy's vision.

She blushed as she stood there, unable to speak. Why was she even there?

"Lucy?" Natsu asked.

She lifted her ashamed gaze, noticing he'd stopped boxing and was now looking at her with curious eyes and a frown. She must look ridiculous there.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…" Lucy twisted her hands, but he couldn't see it due to the jacket. "I came to give you this,"

She extended her arms, offering him his own clothe. He frowned deeper at her actions, shifting his piercing eyes between her flustered face and the jacket.

"Wha-"

"It's your jacket," Lucy said. "I wanted to give it to you as soon as possible,"

"Oh… Oh." he quickly removed his gloves and threw them over a bench, taking it from her hands. He put it down too, and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

Lucy stood there awkwardly, biting her lips.

"You… you came all the way here only to give me this?" Natsu asked. Lucy couldn't quite place the tone of his voice.

"Well… yes," Lucy said, scratching the back of her neck. "It was the least I could do."

"You could've waited until I was back in the apartment… or give me it at college…" Natsu narrowed his eyes. "How did you know I was here? Are you a stalker or something?"

"Of course not!" Lucy huffed, indignantly. "Juvia told me,"

"And you came?" he asked. "You're so weird."

"I am not weird!" she pursed her lips together, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

"You sure are," Natsu frowned. "First you invite me to dinner out of the blue, and then you came all the way to a club only to give me a freaking jacket."

Lucy blushed, but it didn't stop her from arguing. "You are the weird one, acting like a tough guy when you're actually pretty nice…"

He widened his eyes, shocked at her words. It was a whole moment of tension between them, and Lucy felt the world stopping for a second, but his laughter broke it all.

She watched, astonished, as he put a hand in his forehead, threw his head back and laughed at her.

"W-What are you laughing at, idiot?" Lucy yelled, indignant.

"Just as I thought… a weirdo." Natsu shook his head, still ignoring her.

Lucy growled, putting her hands in her hips. "I'm going to ignore you now and go back to my house, thank you very much."

She turned around on her heels, his laughter still echoing in her ears.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu called her.

She eyed him over her shoulder, "What?"

He smirked. "I kind of not hate you anymore."

Lucy laughed,"I think I kind of not hate you anymore either."

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed this filler-not-filler! Sorry for the long wait. Next chapter you'll get to know a lot more of Natsu's past! Yay! For those who asked; the song at the end of the previous chapter is That's The Thing About Love by Don Williams.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for your sweet words! You all make my day brighter! And thanks for following and favoriting too . Thanks for reading, until next time!**_


	8. That Thing About Smiles

_**That Thing About Love**_

* * *

Natsu grumpily walked in the office of the director of his university, or, his adoptive grandfather, Makarov.

He hated, because he knew that when he was called, something was wrong.

And that wrong, most of the time, was his fault.

He wasn't in the mood of listening to someone lecture him, not now. He still had around four essays to do for his Chemistry class.

Studying to be a doctor wasn't easy.

"Ah, Natsu," the secretary said, sending him a sweet smile. "Welcome."

"Hi," he said.

"Mr. Makarov is waiting for you."

"Figured," he murmured, and opened the door to the office he visited almost every week.

It's been three long months since college started, and he'd been called around ten times so far. The office smelled of lavender, and chicken. He figured his grandpa had just finished eating his lunch.

"Natsu," Makarov said, his little figure sitting on the big chair, his fingers intertwined over the mahogany desk. His dark eyes looked as serious as always, making Natsu gulp down. If there was someone who could intimidate him, it was his adoptive grandpa.

"Yo," he greeted, sitting down at the other side.

"How've you been?" Makarov asked.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. As much as he knew Makarov loved him, it was very new of him to invite him only to say that.

"I'm fine," Natsu said. "What about you?"

"Good," Makarov said. "A little stressed, but good overall."

Natsu nodded, but said no more. An awkward silence echoed in the room, rays of sunshine entering by the opened window at their side. There were a lot of students passing by, all of them carrying a bag full of books.

"And your studies?" Makarov asked.

Natsu shrugged. "Well, good. I guess if I did wrong you'd already know, anyways."

Makarov smiled, his wrinkled face contracting and making him look even older. "I'm grateful. Medicine is quite a hard career, but I'm so glad you want to become a doctor. Like your father."

Natsu tensed, "You know Igneel wasn't actually my father."

"But you loved him like one, didn't you?" Makarov argued, shutting him up.

Natsu silenced, his mind returning to that happy world that now seemed so far away, when he was still innocent and life was easy, and full of laughter.

* * *

" _Igneel, Igneel!" little Natsu called, holding up a paper for Igneel, his adoptive father, to see._

" _Wait a second, son." Igneel said, and returned to talk on the phone. As far as Natsu understood, a patient of his father had a doubt about his child's health._

 _Igneel always told him he was his top priority, but Natsu sometimes thought Igneel loved his patients more than he loved him. Why was he always talking with them? And why did they call only his father?_

" _But Daddy," Natsu whined. "I want to show you this drawing. It's a dragon!"_

 _Igneel motioned him to wait a minute. Natsu grimaced._

" _Okay, yes, just give him it every eight hours for four days. Okay, bye." Igneel finally hang up. He turned around to Natsu and chuckled nervously at the annoyed look the little boy was giving him, and scratched his neck._

" _Do you want to show me your dragon now?" Igneel shyly asked._

" _No." Natsu crossed his arms, annoyed._

" _Please? I know it's amazing." Igneel begged._

" _But I told you to see it before, not now." Natsu refused._

" _Natsu, please." Igneel walked to him, kneeling at his side._

 _Natsu opened one eye and looked at him. "No. You don't want to see it, or else, you'd have seen it when I told you to."_

" _C'mon, don't be so stubborn," Igneel said. "The man was worried about the health of his son, just like I worry for yours too."_

" _You care more about your patients than me." Natsu stated, a little hurt in his voice._

" _Of course not!" Igneel said. "I love you more than anything else. I worry about my patients because that's the job of a doctor. But you're my son, and I love you."_

" _But… aren't you going to get tired of me and leave me in the door of someone, like my parents did?" Natsu asked innocently, blinking at his new father._

 _Something flashed in Igneel's eyes, and in that moment, Natsu didn't know what was it. "Never. I'm never leaving you, Natsu. I love you."_

" _I love you too, Daddy."_

* * *

"Yeah, I did." Natsu said, shrugging.

"You _do_." Makarov corrected him with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu said, a smile tugging at his lips.

"How's Gray?" Natsu's smile vanished.

"A jerk, like always,"

Makarov's glare scolded him without the need of spoken words. "You're living with him, how can you say that?"

"He's a jerk, that's all." Natsu answered.

Makarov shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "Well then. How's work?"

"Horrible, as always." Natsu said. But even if he hated it, he couldn't quite. Not until he finished college and got a good job as a doctor, because Makarov only helped him a bit with the money, since he wanted Natsu to gain his own things.

"Is there any good thing you like on your life?" Makarov asked.

Unconsciously, a flash of golden hair appeared on his vision. He wasn't so sure why, but his cheeks even heated up.

Makarov chuckled at him, watching him with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, seems to be. A girl, may I say?"

"What? No!" Natsu denied.

"Please wait until you finish studying to be a father," Makarov teased.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Anyways, Natsu," Makarov continued, more serious this time. "I don't want you to go away this year again by _that_ date, okay? I know it hurts but… a lot of people worried when you suddenly disappeared. Don't do it again, please."

Natsu avoided his gaze. "What I do with my life is my problem,"

Makarov sighed, apparently defeated and tired. "Natsu, people care about you, you know?"

A memory he didn't want to remember came to his mind, but Natsu pushed it to the back of his mind. He didn't want to be a mess and recall his past now. He stood up from his chair and picked his bag from the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said. "See you next time, Gramps."

Makarov sighed, but still, a little smile formed in his lips. "Heh, it's been a long time since you last called me that. I'm believing that girl is real, after all."

Natsu rolled his eyes, opening the door, "Bye," and he closed it.

He exited the building of the college and left, walking down on the sidewalk until his apartment building. He always was thankful it wasn't very away from it, because if so, he'd always be late for his classes, and if he did it, he'd have to say goodbye to a good career.

He pulled his scarf closer to his neck, stopping the icy wind to hit his bare skin. It was so warm, and it still held that scent of familiarness and love that Igneel always carried around, if love had a scent.

When he reached his building, he pushed the doors open. The man at the reception waved shyly at him, as if he was afraid Natsu would punch him. He rolled his eyes, but the big surprise was waiting for him at the elevator.

Or maybe, recently it wasn't that big of a surprise.

Lucy was waiting for him.

She was wearing a blue and grey oversized sweater, with her hair tied up in a braid that hung over her shoulder. As what seemed to have become a tradition, she was holding two cups of coffee, one waiting for him.

When she spotted him, she smiled. Her smile, surprisingly, lifted up his spirits, brightening up his whole day. One smile, it was all it costed.

What was she doing to him? She was so weird. He still couldn't quite understand.

* * *

 _ **Sorry this is a short chapter, I have my last huge test tomorrow. From now on, I'll do my best to update every Sunday, and if I can't do it that day, it'll be up on Mondays. Thank you so much for sticking with this story, and for your reviews/favorites/follows. Your words always brighten up my day! Thank you!**_

 _ **7 more chapters until the end~**_


	9. That Thing About Cats

_**That Thing About Love**_

* * *

The moment the bell of his apartment rang, Natsu froze.

He shifted his gaze between the door, meters away, and the blue cat looking back at him with attentive black eyes.

Quickly, he grabbed the animal and threw it to his bathroom before closing the door. He knew Happy would fall on his feet, after all.

He ran towards the door, where the person kept knocking.

Anyways, who the fuck would come to annoy-

"Hi!" Lucy smiled, her golden hair tied up in a side ponytail, her cheeks flushed pink.

Natsu sucked on a breath, "H-Hey," he said.

Lucy frowned at his weird reaction, and he cursed innerly. He was such a mess whenever she was around, he wanted to slap himself until he got over it.

"What were you doing?" Lucy asked, her never-ending curiosity taking over her, something he'd learned over the six months they'd known each other.

"Nothing," he lied.

Her brown eyes narrowed, probably sensing the lack of truth in his words. Her arms crossed under her chest, accidentally lifting up her cleavage. Natsu did everything in him not to stare.

"Tell me right now, Natsu Dragneel." Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"I say it's nothing!" Natsu argued.

Still suspicious, Lucy entered the apartment and placed her bag over the couch. "Where's Gray?"

"With Juvia," Natsu answered.

"Okay then," Lucy said, walking slowly and aimlessly around the apartment, Natsu gulping down as he stared. "What are you hiding here?"

"I say it's nothing," Natsu insisted. "Don't know why you think it's something."

"You're a terrible liar," Lucy said.

Natsu blushed under her accusation, but then he tsked her and looked away, oblivious to the smile playing on her lips.

And yet, he was thankful for her presence, for being there with him even if she had tons of homework and essays and things to study. He still didn't quite figure out the reason of her constant visits, or why the heck she cared enough to spend time with him, but he wouldn't complain. He really liked being with her.

He sometimes felt bad for his previous manners with her, because he sure had been a jerk. He wondered if she had forgiven him or what, because she never mentioned it.

 _Nyaa._

The sound snapped Natsu out of his thoughts, freezing him and Lucy on their spots.

"Was that… a cat?" Lucy asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

Natsu chuckled nervously. "What are you saying, weirdo. We can't have pets in this building."

"I know," Lucy said. "That's why I'm asking you if you have a cat locked up in your bathroom."

"What an imagination you have," Natsu chuckled.

"Natsu."

"Yes?"

"Open the door."

Knowing he couldn't argue with her threatening tone, Natsu reluctantly obliged, walking the slowest pace towards the closed door, Lucy's piercing gaze fixed on his back.

Shooting a glance at her and seeing she wasn't going to back up, Natsu growled and opened it.

A small blue cat jumped to his arms, obliging him to hold it.

He heard Lucy's hysterical giggled behind him.

"Oh my God," Lucy kept laughing. "You really have a cat."

"And what?" Natsu pursed his lips.

"Why are you always doing things against the rules," Lucy said, walking up to them with a big smile. "I never imagined you were a cat man,"

"Don't say it like that…" Natsu tried to argue hopelessly.

"What's his name?" Lucy asked curiously, petting the blue cat on the head, gaining little meows from it.

"Happy," Natsu said.

"What?" Lucy said, at the edge of bursting into laughter again.

"He's Happy." Natsu glared at her.

Lucy laughed, "That's… that's kinda cute," she said between her giggles.

Natsu's eyes widened, "What?"

"Nothing. And why is he blue?"

Natsu blushed, embarrassed. "It was an accident I swear."

"C'mon, tell me!" Lucy begged. "Please?"

Natsu avoided her gaze, shifting the little animal to his other arm as it purred. "Well…."

He looked into her always curious brown eyes, waiting for him to tell her a story. He never understood why she had that desire to listen to every single story she could. Maybe when she was young her parents always told her bedtime stories, who knew.

"Five years ago, I was doing a new paint to get extra points and it had to be huge one, so I may or may not threw the paint can away out of frustration and Happy may or may not have been in the way…"

"You painted your cat blue?" Lucy summarized.

"Maybe," Natsu offered her a shy smile.

Lucy burst out into laughter, holding her stomach. Natsu tried to ignore the fact that her laughter always seemed to calm him, because it was like a melody to his ears. He'd never admit that, that was for sure. Lucy would tease him so much over it.

"You're hopeless," Lucy said, finally calming down after a few minutes.

Natsu shrugged. "Anyways, you're not gonna tell the owner, right?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Who do you think I am? I'll not betray you, Natsu."

She then walked closer to him, smiling. Her pink lips were up in amused smile as her eyes fixed on the animal between his arms.

"Besides, Happy's pretty cute. Can I hold him?"

Natsu sighed, relaxing. Something about her choice of words calmed him. "Yeah, sure."

He saw how she took the cat out of his embrace, holding him close to her chest. Happy purred, rubbing his little head against her cleavage. The cat was smart.

"He's so soft!" Lucy smiled. "Who would have thought you owned a cat?"

"Hey!" Natsu protested, but he couldn't help but smile at the image too.

"What did you do to make Gray silent?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Blackmail," Natsu answered.

Lucy decided not to ask further. Natsu sighed in relief.

"So, what do you think about cookies?" Lucy asked out of the blue.

Natsu blinked in surprise, thinking she was messing with him, but her eyes had that spark of determination and light that made him go back to the right path, maybe. Besides, Lucy didn't mess with him.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, only if to assure her words.

"I'll cook cookies," Lucy said. "Do you want some?"

"S-Sure," he said. "But I don't think we have what you need to-"

Lucy cut him off, holding her bag in front of him with a smug smile. "I'm always prepared,"

"I see," Natsu smiled.

"Now, now, let's go to the kitchen!" Lucy grinned, turned around, and walked up to the refrigerator with the cat on her hands.

"Do you need me to hold Happy?" Natsu asked, following her.

"Nah, it's good." Lucy said. "You're gonna help me cook,"

"What?"

"Yes."

"I don't know how to cook."

"I'll teach you how. Do you always depend on Gray then?"

"No way!"

"But if you don't know how to cook…"

"I don't know how to make cookies, but I can live by myself!"

"You're such a liar,"

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are. Who doesn't know how make cookies?"

"I don't!"

"You're so lame."

"Lucy!"

"You'll be an expert on cookies in no time."

"Tch. I don't need to."

"Are you insinuating you can't?"

"No!"

"Well then. Help me."

"I'm all fired up!"

* * *

 _ **This is such an horrible chapter I have no words. I'm sorry for being so, so late, my life kinda sucked these last weeks, so... I had no motivation to write... Anyways, thank you so much for your beautiful reviews, and for favoriting and following this story, it makes me so happy!**_

 _ **6 more chapters until the end~**_


	10. That Thing About Stories

**That Thing About Love**

* * *

Lucy jumped happily on the living room of her apartment, still not believing she got an A in that difficult exam she'd put so much effort on.

Little things like that always made her so happy.

But after studying weeks for it, she knew she deserved it.

After pouring down the last of the coffee in her beige cup, Lucy sat on her chair and read the last chapter of the book she'd bought long along. She'd promised she'd read it only if she succeeded in the exam.

And heck if she did.

Only a few tears left her eyes as she read, but she finally was able to finish it, along her cup of sweet coffee.

She checked the clock in the kitchen wall. 8:00 pm. He'd already be back on his own apartment, just a floor above her.

She needed to mock him about her note. He always teased her, telling her she was too distracted for him to concentrate in her studies.

She prayed he never found out the truth.

Lucy grabbed the paper and ran out of her little home, took the elevator and ran towards the door she'd got used to go.

Who would have thought a guy like Natsu would become her best friend?

The memories of little things, simples as sharing an elevator trip, the bus to college, burning food together with their cooking skills, going out for lunch, eating cookies together, playing with Happy in the park… little things like that became a routine, something that she realized she couldn't live without.

It was amazing, how one man and his cat came into her life. With an horrible start, but she did her best to walk along his side on this path of becoming a better person. It was like he tried desperately not to be mean to her anymore, carefully thinking his words before saying them.

Of course it didn't work the whole time, since his impulsive personality made him more a man of action than words, which often gave birth to their countless adventures around Magnolia.

And as the elevator took her to the upper floor, music as background, her heart started to long for the sight of him. Of his face and smile, of that little earring in his ear and the scarf carefully wrapped around his neck, covering up his scar.

The doors opened, and unable to restrain a huge smile from spreading over her lips, Lucy jumped towards the door she has gotten used to cross more often than her own.

Her hand knocked against the wooden, her other one grabbing her exam with excitement, ready to brag about it and watch him scowl and cross his arms in an adorable pout.

Today, July 7th, she'd show him her intelligence, and that with a small amount of effort, you could achieve whatever you truly wanted.

No answer came from the other side, which made her frown. Usually, Happy started to meow and scratch the door with his paws, and then Natsu would open the door with a slight blush and a happy grin.

Today was different, and a bad feeling appeared in her chest.

"Natsu?" she asked, loud enough for him to be able to hear.

Maybe this feeling was for nothing, and he was just showering and listening to music after a long day at the coffee shop.

But Natsu didn't like to shower before midnight.

She gulped down and knocked harder, biting her lip. "Natsu! If you're there, open, or at least reply! This isn't funny, y'know?"

No response.

"Natsu!" she cried hysterically.

Maybe she was overreacting, and she had become hysterical, but the sound of silence after her call brought back memories she didn't want to recall.

Finally, Lucy remembered when he told her about the backup key. She grabbed it and put it inside the lock, turning it around with shaking hands. The door finally opened, and she ran inside, closing it with a kick.

But what she found was never in her plans.

There he was, sitting on the floor, his back against the wall and his face thrown back, pink bangs covering his eyes. But even in the distance she could see tears rolling down his face. Around him, a couple of bottles of alcohol surrounding him. The smell was so strong she had to cover her nose.

The lights were off, and only the moonlight leaked through the kitchen window.

Lucy threw her exam as she ran to his side, putting each hand over his cheeks and turning his face to hers. His dark eyes were glassy, unable to focus on her, as if he was looking miles away. Tears kept falling down, and with each drop that fell to the ground, a piece of her heart shattered.

"My God," she whispered, feeling as her own chest tightened with pain.

She always knew about his sadness. As much as he tried to laugh it off, it always was there, between the little spots of different shades on his eyes, in the corner of his lips when he thought no one was watching. It seemed it had become too much without her noticing, and he finally was breaking down.

Unable to speak, she hugged his head against her chest and held him, caressing his pink locks as his body shook along the heartbreaking sobs.

Such a lonely boy in a lonely night.

She hugged him tighter as realization sunk within her bones with a chilling cold. Just how long had he been like that? Why was him like this? Was his drunk, what was his reason? What was he thinking?

"Lu… cy?" his voice cracked, rough, with a dry throat.

"Yes," she said, biting her lip, praying that everything was fine and the situation was not as bad as she was thinking.

"Are you… here?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'm with you, Natsu." she said.

"Why?"

And for a moment she'd forgot about anything else, and words took their time to come out. "Nothing important, but what… what happened to you?"

She watched as he blinked in confusion, his eyes wandering around the room in search of answers. He frowned, still wondering. Lucy could smell the alcohol coming out from his mouth every time he opened it to talk.

"Oh…" he said, chuckling lifelessly. "Nothing important."

She sucked in a breath. Even in his lowest moment, where he needed to look for help, he refused to share about him with her. She'd thought that after months, he'd open up and trust her, even if only a little. But it wasn't like that, he didn't trust her at all.

"Natsu." she said firmly, holding him by the shoulders. She leaned in and touched his foreheads with hers, as silent tears came out of the eyes of the two of them. She didn't remember crying. "Please-"

"It's the anniversary of my dad's death," he said, monotone. "Funny, uh?"

"Natsu?" she asked, just now understanding the meaning of half of it. Did he buy the alcohol to dull the pain, or was it already too much he couldn't feel anything?

"He wasn't even my real father to be honest," he chuckled, "he just found me on his doorstep and took me in."

"That man…" she said, gulping down. "Was he nice?"

A ghost smile appeared on his lips, as if recalling good memories. It calmed her down, knowing he felt loved long ago. "Igneel was the best, y'know, he always bought those candy apples to me when no one else wanted to. He also hugged me and ruffled my hair, even if other kids said it was weird."

Lucy cried silently, listening to the stories he told her for the first time. And she cried too, because how could a sweet kid be bullied because hair? The world was cruel, she knew, and yet there was a blessing called love.

"Igneel taught me how to write and read, because I never listened to the teacher," Natsu said. It was quite surprising how he still didn't pull her away, considering the whole history that was their friendship.

Maybe, just maybe, deep down he also considered her a close friend.

"Do you… want to tell me more?" she asked quietly.

"You want to know more?" he asked, his eyes widen open.

For a moment she was about to slap him, until she remembered his condition and the whole moment. She sighed in exasperation, "Of course I want to, silly. Come here, I'll listen."

She sat against the wall, motioning him to sit by her side. Like a little kid, he stared for a moment, his eyes watery as he considered what to do. Finally, he laid down on the floor and put his head over her lap, his eyes closed. Lucy's face blushed furiously. It was not a thing he'd do without alcohol, that was for sure.

"Igneel… he died in a fire," he explained. "I don't know how it really happened, since I was seven and I was not home in the moment. Some said it was on purpose, others said it was an accident… I don't know what I should believe, to be honest."

He put an arm over his eyes, but she still saw another tear roll down. She wanted to make him better, to show a brighter side, but was there one? She knew very well the feel of losing important people and not being able to see them ever again.

"And then… I don't even remember, but Makarov took me in. I think it was because I kicked him in the guts at some bar," he said.

Lucy stared, shocked. Makarov, as in, the principal of the college? Makarov Dreyar?

"He took me in, even if his grandson hated me… He's a good man,"

So much hate in his life.

Without wanting it, Lucy put her palms against her face and cried out loud. Because it hurt, when someone close to you suffered. It was as if the both of them got hurt.

"Lucy…?" Natsu asked. He had sobered up at the sound of her sobs.

"Sorry…" she murmured, her throat hurting as she tried to stop and failing.

"You don't have to cry-"

"But it's so sad!"

"..."

Silence filled the room as she continued, with him unable to argue with her. He'd watched all along her golden heart and how easy it was to get her emotional. Maybe he shouldn't have said all that at once, but he didn't regret it. If it was possible, perhaps he felt better now… lighter.

"I'm sorry… I should be helping now," Natsu watched with sadness as Lucy furiously wiped tears off her face with her arms.

He found no words to console her.

And in silence he sat up, swallowing hard as he fuzzy mind tried to analyze what he was going to do. He'd promised himself days ago, and to Makarov, that he wouldn't disappear for days without reason in this date ever again. And instead of that he got the stupid idea to get drunk to forget about the pain. Why were all his ideas so reckless, he wasn't sure.

He sat next to her and hugged her.

"I don't like to see you crying for my fault,"

"It's just that… I didn't know anything and-"

He kissed her.

A soft touch that lasted less than five seconds, but woke up a new, reborn feeling that they'd forgot between all the hard rocks thrown at them that day.

"Let's just forget about it all and take a nap, okay?"

* * *

 _ **Word Count= 1932. Long time, right? So sorry about it, I had writer's block and I kinda lost inspiration for this story, but I'll do my best since it's so close to its end! As always, your reviews made me the happiest girl in the world 3 you're all precious! Also, please check out my new fics/one-shots! It'll make me even happier if possible!**_

 _ **5 more chapters until the end~**_


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